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Melting Snowman Surprise Cake

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by: Hungry Happenings
Updated May 23, 2022
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A cute, melting snowman cake with snowballs hiding inside.

More About This Recipe

  • Serve up this super cute cake for a fun holiday treat that'll make everyone smile. Years ago, Meaghan Mountford from The Decorated Cookie whipped up a batch of sugar cookies, cut them into puddle-like shapes, frosted them with royal icing snow, topped them with a fondant snowman head, and added some buttons and arms in the puddle. Thus, the melting snowman cookie craze was born. It was adorable and has become one of the most popular decorated cookies for the winter holidays. I love Meaghan's cookies and needed a large dessert for a party, so I thought it would be fun to create a melting snowman cake! To make it even more special I hid snowballs (actually gumballs) inside my cake, so when I cut into it the snowballs came rolling out. My guests were dazzled, as I'd hoped they would be! Serve the cake to your guests and watch their excitement as you cut into it to reveal the snowballs hiding inside!

Melting Snowman Surprise Cake

  • Prep Time 2 hr 15 min
  • Total 5 hr 0 min
  • Servings 18
  • Ingredients 12
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Ingredients

  • 2 boxes (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Pound Cake Mix
  • 2 1/2 cups eggnog
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
  • 36 gumball snowballs or small white round gumballs
  • 2 to 3 tubs (12 oz) Betty Crocker™ Whipped Fluffy White Frosting
  • 1/3 cup shimmering decorating sugar
  • 2 oz black fondant
  • 1 oz orange fondant
  • 4 oz brown or swirled brown fondant

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray two half-sphere baking pans and one 9x13-inch baking pan with baking spray.
  • Step 
    2
    Beat cake mix, eggnog, eggs, nutmeg, vanilla and rum extract (if using) on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
  • Step 
    3
    Fill both half-sphere baking pans until the batter reaches 1 inch below the top rim. Pour the remaining batter into the 9x13-inch pan.
  • Step 
    4
    Place the cakes in the oven. Bake the 9x13-inch cake for 22 to 25 minutes, quickly remove it from the oven, then continue to bake the half-sphere cakes for a total of 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
  • Step 
    5
    Trim the half-sphere cakes; removing any cake that has risen above the edge of the pan. Remove cakes from baking pans.
  • Step 
    6
    Cut a 3 1/2 inch round by 2 inch deep well in the center of each half-sphere cake.
  • Step 
    7
    Fill each well with gumball snowballs. Spread a thin layer of frosting on one cake.
  • Step 
    8
    Cut a 3 1/2-inch round by 1/2-inch thick piece of cake from the cake scraps. Set it on top of the gumballs on the unfrosted cake. Flip that cake over on top of the other half-sphere cake.
  • Step 
    9
    Carve the 9x13-inch cake into a melting snow puddle shape.
  • Step 
    10
    Frost that cake with white frosting, then sprinkle shimmering decorating sugar over the top.
  • Step 
    11
    Set the sphere cake on top of that cake, frost it, and cover it with shimmering decorating sugar to make the snowman's head.
  • Step 
    12
    Sculpt two eyes and three buttons out of the black fondant, one carrot nose out of the orange fondant, and two twig-like arms out of the brown fondant.
  • Step 
    13
    Attach two eyes to the snowman's head. Insert a small wooden dowel into the fondant carrot and then insert it into the cake. Set the three buttons and two arms onto the snow puddle cake, arranging them as if your snowman has melted.
  • Step 
    14
    Serve the cake whole, then cut into it to reveal the snowballs hiding inside.

Nutrition

No nutrition information available for this recipe
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